Richard III: What if Shakespeare wrote a great play but got the main character wrong? In 1459, as rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet descend in treachery and chaos in a struggle for the English crown, seven-year-old Richard's family is ripped apart. Alternately sheltered from and thrust into the middle of bloody conflicts, the future King Richard III grows into adolescence besieged by questions about honor and love, loyalty and betrayal, life and death, all shaping the man he will become. As husband and father, brother and uncle, he faces a political situation where each path open to him risks everything, and everyone, he holds dear. Can he find his way without condemning his soul? A complex and intimate novel, Benediction crafts a personal portrayal, exploring the emotional life, aspirations, and dilemmas of Richard III. Based on careful research, it exposes the life of a man, including his hopes and anguishes, his triumphs and defeats. .

Author Biography

Virginia Cross was a Colorado native, raised on cattle ranches in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. She was an avid reader and student of medieval English history. She had a bachelor's degree in English and a doctorate in psychology. She held a lifelong fascination with Richard III, convinced that history had got him wrong.